For this article on our history, I'm going back as far as I can. As you may know by now, I have notes taken from old newsletters that belong to Bob Graham of Houston. Bob has moved a time or two since we had these newsletters in 1995. He has said he will give them to me when he finds them.
He said he has a lot of boxes that have not been unpacked since he and his lovely wife, Mary Francis, last moved. I do hope he did not discard this box of our history in one of those moves.
Just recently, through Terry Haslett of San Antonio, I got in touch with Jim Woodson, also of San Antonio. Jim was the Editor of the early day newsletters. He kept his newsletters, and although some are missing, he sent me the ones he had, which is most of them through 1979.
I think Bob's box, as I call it, of newsletters is a more complete set of these records than Jim's. But, with the notes that I took from Bob's box, and with Jim's newsletters, I have a pretty good record of our Charter's printed history, going back to October, 1967.
Jim wrote a cover letter to me on these newsletters. He said that he didn't know how the Houston club found out about their "informal group of guys at San Antonio, but this is where the newsletter, as I know it, had it's beginning." He goes on to say that he "never ran across any paper trail" (on our charter) "before our time," which is the mid-late 1960's.
Jim is a gentleman with a really good sense of humor. It shows throughout these newsletters that Jim wrote or edited. The earliest newsletter in Jim's box is dated "20 Nov. '67, letter No. 2." The next letter is dated "Dec-Jan., '67-'68, Letter No. 3." The first paragraph in this newsletter starts with "In the Oct. 1967 newsletter (letter No. 1), it was stated that........." So this makes the Oct., 1967 newsletter the first of what has evolved into our present day Ringer.
As I remember, Bob's box had a lot more stuff in it that is not in Jim's box. There were some hand written notes, I believe, in Bob's box that tell of our charter's beginning.
The first note states that "Organized horseshoe pitching first came to Texas in 1937, when a group of enthusiastic pitchers banded together to form an affiliation under the sponsorship of the TEXAS AMATEUR ATHLETIC FEDERATION."
The next note reads, "Our Charter, the ASSOCIATION of HORSESHOE PITCHERS of TEXAS, joined the NHPA in 1946. After receiving its Charter, the AHPT dropped contact with the NHPA 'til 1951--at which time the AHPT re-joined the NHPA."
In a conversation with Bob Graham awhile back, Bob told me that until 1967, when the newsletters began, there was no recorded history, that he knew of on the AHPT. He said that someone would call others and get a tournament set up. Most, if not all, records of games were never kept on an official basis.
Bob also told me that he wrote the afore mentioned notes, that are in his box.
From my notes from Letter No. 1, Oct. 1967, is this concerning membership--"Old time members of the AHPT might be interested in knowing that our membership in 1967, reached 48." That was an all time high.
Bob Graham was elected President of the AHPT for 1964. (He was president through 1972, a total of nine years.)Mose Sanderson, of the Lakeside club, of San Antoino, passed away in 1967. A note stapled to the front of the Dec.-Jan. 1967-1978, letter No. 3 reads: "With sadness in our hearts, and a feeling of great personal loss, the Lakeside Horseshoe Club regrets to announce the sudden passing of Mose Sanderson. Words cannot adequately express our loss. Mose was our President, but most of all, he was our very good friend." The MOSE SANDERSON SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD was set up in 1968. Mr. B.E. Sipple of Houston, was the winner of this first time award, in 1968.
Newsletter No. 7 for 1968 (May or June, the month is not on it) begins a profile of members of the AHPT. It is called SPOTLIGHT. The first one is about Mr. B.E. Sipple. It reads:
"It is appropriate that this new series start with Mr. B.E. Sipple. Our spotlight is on our No. 1 man in Texas horseshoes. Mr. Sipple has been active in the AHPT since the middle 30's. He was State Champion in 1944. In the middle 50's, his efforts pushed the game forward, and in the early 60's, he and four or five others kept the game alive in Texas. In honor of his long and dedicated service, the AHPT bestowed upon Mr. Sipple the permanent title of PRESIDENT EMERITUS. Today he continues his untiring efforts, on behalf of horseshoes, by shouldering the heavest burdens during tournaments, and by quietly advising the officers in periods of cirsis. Truly, Mr. B.E Sipple is the NUMBER ONE man in Texas--and Texas is proud that he is one of us."
'Til next time...
Johnny Davenport
